Coco Talanoa — Pacific Blog / Page 10

The celebrated Cindy of Samoa has brought joy to so many Islanders around the Pacific - on her bday she shared 3 fave things about her life in Samoa and a special song medley Fresh from Apia with her back up singers (above) 

"My favourite food is Eleni. Our people are so creative cooking eleni. You can have eleni everyday and it never tastes the same. Our people have worked out 1000 ways of cooking Eleni. Yummy.

I find The faafafines the most Inspirational people in Samoa. They still are going through a hard life and still they live life to the fullest and with no apologies. They are survivors. My favourite song is “Cindy The Best” not simply the best. Lol!

My favourite dresses are my Tina Dresses cause I made a living out of them and took me places." - Cindy of Samoa 

Check out some of her hilarious moments on FreshTV below - 

From July 3 to 9 this year marks Solomon Islands Language Week!

Did you know, including Pijin, there are over 80 varying languages spoken in the archipelago?

In the above video are just some of the dialects spoken in the Solomons - a wealth of culture and tradition wrapped into these centuries' old languages.

This year's theme is "Sharem gudfala nolej - Pass on the right knowledge."

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Credit: ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language

by Mariner Fagaiava-Muller

Last week, Associate Professor Tiatia was formally welcomed into the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific with a Cook Islands turou and Fijian yaqona ceremony.

It was opened by the office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori with a mihi whakatau and then a lotu by Dr Therese Lautua.

The following yaqona was led by Fijian community member Malcolm Andrews with student leaders from across Pacific nations taking part.

Tiatia (Taga, Salelologa, Fusi Safata, Siumu, Vaimoso) acted in the role before her apppointment, whilst also co-head of The University of Auckland's School of Māori and Pacific Studies.

Her academic background lies in Pacific health and mental wellbeing.

Her Masters degree looked at why young Pacific peoples were leaving traditional churches; leading her to write the book Caught between Cultures.

Tiatia's PhD examined suicide and mental health and wellbeing in the Samoan community. 

She serves on the board of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission - having previously been on the Suicide Bereavement Service Advisory Group, National Depression Initiative Advisory Group, and Suicide Mortality Review Committee.…more

The PACTS Program at Parma Senior High School in Ohio hosts an annual spring luau dance for nearly 400 special needs students in the surrounding area.

The Parma High students posted a video invitation to social media to invite Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to their luau. When Johnson got wind of their request, he made sure that the students had a couple special surprises in store for them as they celebrated their big night…

“People were finding it was a samoa they didn’t want to live in, so what do u do? migrate to NZ or fix it..”

Fiame Naomi Mata’afa spoke to the Samoan community in Auckland this morning on politics, life, her family legacy and why young Pacific women need to be more vocal and engage in all sorts of platforms.

“If there’s anything the constitutes being a matai, an effective matai and a successful one, is that you have to have a lot of patience- onosa’i- this is the word that underpins everything, the word ‘ono’ to swallow it, to have patience. It’s having the capacity to listen and to have a very clear understanding of all the surrounding issues. It requires a bit of detachment so your emotions aren’t too tied up.

The rebuild of Samoa involves every single person, everyone standing up and doing their bit. There’s a difference in approach, a lot of policy revolves around  inferstructure but it doesn’t invite a broader engagement with the general population to lift our economy.…more

Tributes have been flowing in today for Samoan singer, song writer and producer Laga Savea after news of his passing broke.

The video above is from 2018 when Laga performed his cover of Naumati Lagona at Konishiki's Island Music Festival in Odiba Tokyo.

The talented musician and producer grew up in Nanakuli, Hawai'i and collaborated closely with Pacific Islands music legends Fiji, J Boog and a number of Pacific Islands artists around the world.  He was part of the Hot Rain Band which included Kiwini Vaitai and Siaosi and the guys often performed back up vocals for both Fiji and J Boog on tour.

Savea released his own album 'Roots Satisfaction' in 2007 which included a cover of the Five Stars classic 'Naumati Lagona' as well as hit songs 'Take Me Away', 'Nanakuli' and 'Honi Honi' and has been described as a musical genius & icon in the Polynesian community.…more

By Angelica S. Eke, California  

There is a realization today that many of our Samoan people scattered across the globe are not fully aware of the ins and outs of Samoan culture. We can blame it on miseducation or even the lack of information; however, one thing holds true and that is that we come from a very rich cultural background.

Many of us do not come to appreciate our culture until we are adults, and this is even more true when one is raised away from our beautiful home, Samoa. This is the story of many who live in other parts of the world and as they reach adulthood, find the missing piece of themselves within our culture; a culture that unites the past, present, and future.

I never appreciated my culture until I became an adult. I remember feeling that being Samoan was a headache because of the many traditions and expectations that we were held accountable for seemed to be more than I could handle.…more

Rotuman mother, Marseu Moresio, shares with us the importance of upholding her language and culture in the home. Her husband and boys also share a special message for this Mother's day - check out the video.

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Video Credit:  Pasifika Medical Association Group

When people imagine the cure for the climate crisis many would picture white coats in labs creating new formulas to solve the problem or government officials in expensive suits signing lengthy documents. The reality is, the cure is not in a test tube or document, it is in a relationship that needs mending. It’s as simple as healing the relationship between humans and Earth.

Samoans call this relationship a “vā”. A sacred relationship between people and the environment. The land gives and the land also takes. The ocean cares for the village as long as the village cares for the ocean. This concept of connection to nature is also found across all indigenous cultures. In Kenya they call it “Tunza” which is Swahili for “taking care of and guarding”.

Indigenous languages point to the crucial relationship people have with the planet and it informs how different cultural practices honor this. Across the Pacific, villages and communities practice conservation practices that if implemented worldwide could be a part of the solution to combat environmental damage.…more

by Mariner Fagaiava-Muller

“It’s funny because a child, babysitting a child? That’s the norm for us,” she said. “It’s an unspoken responsibility.”

“For us brown women, we’re told what we have to be, who we have to be, where we can go, what we can do. That has an impact on the boundaries we hold moving forward.”

“It’s sacred in how you tautua to your aiga and nu’u around you.”

The world has sung along to Encanto and the life of Luisa Madrigal, and followed the trials of the eldest siblings on Bridgerton - but being the eldest child in a Pacific family comes with its own particular realities and responsibilities. Three Pacific big sisters share their stories.

At almost 22-years-old, Paulina Tapua’i-Soti feels like it’s only now she can begin living out her aspirations - after a teenagehood spent tending to two little brothers.

She’s the second child of her parents, their eldest and only girl. Until the birth of her younger siblings, Paulina enjoyed a spoiled upbringing by extended family.…more